Filter device



Dec. 29, 1942. J. A. @WAN FILTER DEVICE Filed' June '2:4-I 1940 [NVENTOR ...75;27 H 7/277al7. MM, @www a) Q1,

A TTORNE 5.

Patented Dec. 29, 1942 UNITED sTATEs PATENT, vori-ICE FILTER DEVICE l"Jaim A. 'roma Detroit, man.

Application June 24, .1940, Serial No. 342,050 z calms.) totem-16s) Thisinvention relates to filter devices and more particularly to filterdevices capableof ltering liquids which are highly destructive tocommonly used filtering mediums.

Great difficulties have beenexperiencedwitlr" filtering liquids of theabove character, suchfori, instance as sulfuric acid, since filteringmediumsin common use, such as cloth, felt, metalscreens, and the like,are incapable of resisting the ykie-' v structive properties of suchliquids. Other filter-f ing mediums, such as quartz sand, proved to beAvery inconvenient to handle, and do not permit construction of compactfilter devices having high production capacity, as is required formodern industrial plants. In view of the above, in the manufacture ofmany liquids, such as suliuric acid, filtration processes have beenconsidered impractical, and sedimentation has been usually resortedto'for the purpose of separating undesirable solids. However,sedimentation is an extremely slow and tedious process.

i'One of the objects of the present invention is toi provide an improvedillter device capable of filtering liquids which destructively attacklter mediums such as cloth, metal screens, and the like,- said filterdevice being also capable of resisting the destructive action of suchliquids for a long period of time.

lAnother object of the invention is to provide an improved filter devicefor filtering highly de- A structive liquids, which device is verycompact, has a high production capacity and is very easy to handle whencleaning or making repairs.

It is an added object of the present invention to provide an improvedfilter device ofthe foregoing character, which is simple inconstruction,

safe and dependable in operation, and is relatively inexpensive tomanufacture.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description and appended claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing forming a part of this specification wherein likereference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view partly in section showing the filter deviceembodying the present invention, said device being shown submerged in atank containing liquid to be filtered.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows on thesection plane passing through the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view with parts broken away, said viewillustrating the construction of individual filtering members and theway in which they are secured to the filter container.

Before explaining in detail ythe present invention' it is to beunderstood that the invention' is 'notlimited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement if-parts illus jtratednin theaccompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments and lEroi being practiced or carried out in various ways.

Alsoitis to vbe understood that the phraseology ,Torf terminologyemployed herein is for the purposejofxdescription and not of limitation,and it isjnot'intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond therequirements of the prior art. lIn the drawing there is illustrated alter de-v vice embodying the present invention. I'he device illustratedin the drawing is `shown submerged into a tank containing the liquid tobe filtered. Referring specically to the drawing, th'e numeral i0designates a container made of a material that will resist thedestructive propert ties of the liquid to be ltered. For filteringsulfuric acid I prefer to use "a container made of rubber. The containerI0 is provided with an outlet nipple Il preferably formed integrally onthe container body. On the nipple I I there is secured in any suitablemanner an outlet conduit or pipe i2 with the aid of which the filteredliquid is directed to any desired place.

The container I0 is provided with a. plurality of outlet openings intowhich are fitted ltering members generally indicated by the numeral i3.

Each of said filtering members comprises a multi- -a suitable size foran average case, although strands having a diameter as small as .0001 ofan inch may be utilized. The strands are mad fof a material which iscapable of resisting the destructive properties of the liquids to befiltered. The material of strands may vary depending upon the natureofthe particular liquid for which thefiilter device is constructed. Forlterving sulfuric acid strands of rubber or glass give very satisfactoryresults. 'The strands' in the present instance are encircled and heldtogether under a predetermined transverse compression with the aid of aretainer member I5. In some cases it is preferable to use a retainermember vmade of rubber and having a reinforcing metal insert I6completely embedded` within the material of the retainer member andgiving suilicient rigidity thereto. The ltering members I3 may besecured to the container body with the aid of screws I1 engaging theretainer members I5. In some instances the retainer I5 for the iiltermember may be dispensed with and the filter strands retained together bymeans of fusing material along the lines of contact of the strands.Securemen't of the strands together along their lines of contact mayalso be accomplished by iirst compacting a batch of strands and heatingthem to just sufficient a temperature to fuse the adjacent strandstogether, Without however destroying or impairing the'desireddimensional control of the capillary channels between the strands.

In the present embodiment of the invention the filtering members areprovided around four sides and at the bottom of the container I0, theoutlet conduit II being provided in the solid top wall of the container.

In some instances it may be desiirable to make the container I0 out ofglass. In such cases, strands I4, if made of rubber, may be inserteddirectly into the shouldered recesses provided along the edges oftheintake openings of the container. If glass strands are used, the samemay be provided with a rubber container, in which case no reinforcingmember is necessary since the retainer member will act as such onlybefore the strands are inserted in place, after which the retainerV willfunction partly as a gasket.

As shown in Fig. 1, the iilter device is submerged in a tank I8containing the liquid to be iiltered. Suction is applied to the conduitI2 to draw the liquid through the side and bottom filtering members anddepositing the solids on the intake faces of the filtering members I3.The level of the liquid in the tank I8 may be maintained atsubstantially the same level, and the filtering device raised from timeto time for cleaning the cake formed on the faces of the filteringmembers. More than one filtering device can be used in one tank and suchdevicesA may be connected in batteries for convenient handling.

If viscosity of /the liquid is such that its resistance to flow isrelatively high, higher pressures may be y necessary to drive suchliquid through the capillary channels formed between the strands I4. Insuch cases the tank I8 may be made closed and the necessary pressurebuilt therein'with the aid of any suitable means, which casesapplication of vacuum to the outetfl conduit I2 may be dispensed with,if desired.

l. In a filter device, a glass container adapted to be submerged inunfiltered acid, said container having a chamber provided with an outletconduit at one side and a plurality of inlet openings at the other sidesof the container opening into said chamber, a corresponding-plurality offiltering members fitted into said openings and operatively closing thesame, each of said filtering members including a quantity of glassstrands held in longitudinal contact and forming filtering channelsbetween them, said channels being parallel to said strands. Y

2. In a filter device, a glass container adapted to be submerged inuniiltered acid, said container having a chamber provided with an outletcon- Vduit at one side and a plurality of inlet openings at the othersides of the container opening into said chamber, a correspondingplurality of filter.- ing members fitted into said openings andoperatively closing the same, each of said filtering membersincluding aquantity of glass strands arranged in longitudinal contact to formiiltering channels between them, said channels being parallel to thestrands, and a retainer member encircling said strandsand holding thesame under transverse compression. Y JOHN A. TOLMAN.=

